Sophie Foster is the result of Project Moonlark. Her genetics were tweaked and twisted by the Black Swan, causing her abilities to be unnaturally strong and oddly numerous. However, genetics from two elves were used as a base for Sophie's creation. Her biological parents remained unknown— until Legacy, when she discovered that Councillor Oralie is her biological mother.
Because Mr. Forkle and the Black Swan are still alive, there is hope that Sophie will learn who her other biological parent is.
Sophie has said, however, that she does not want to know who he is and will stop looking for him. She has since resigned herself to the fact that she will forever be unmatchable, causing her breakup with Fitz Vacker.
The Discovery of Sophie’s Biological Mother[]
In Legacy, Councillor Oralie is revealed to be Sophie's biological mother while Councillor Oralie is assisting Sophie in an exercise to give her better control over her enhancing, allowing her to switch the power on and off at will. However, Sophie brings up the topic of her biological parents, noting Councillor Oralie's discomfort during this conversation. Oralie answers that she hadn't put any thought into this topic, but as Sophie previously learned from Lord Cassius that an Empath's pulse skips three beats (one for guilt, one for fear, and one like a held breath to see if someone will catch them) when they tell a lie. Sophie realizes Oralie is not being truthful when she felt Oralie's pulse skipping in this way numerous times. Sophie confronts Oralie, and while the Councillor initially denies it, she eventually admits that she is Sophie's biological mother, having donated her own DNA to Project Moonlark. Since Oralie is a Councillor, Sophie decides to keep Oralie’s identity as her biological mother secret as revealing this would result in her being removed from the Council, subsequently giving the Neverseen an opportunity to strike.
Canon Speculation[]
During Sophie and her friends' search for her biological parents' identities in Legacy, there is also a suggestion from Lady Cadence that Sophie's parents do not have the same abilities as she. This may be true as Councillor Oralie does not share any abilities with Sophie at the moment. Their abilities could possibly have a correlation to each other, as with Oralie’s empathy and Sophie‘s enhancing. Oralie does not know who Sophie's other biological parent is and does not have a strong personal connection with them, though it is possible that she knows of them. Also, during Legacy, Empaths feel Sophie's new enhancing the most strongly (so more abilities like that could be her father's)
Known Criteria[]
- They have/had important reasons for remaining anonymous. (Oralie's reason is that she would lose everything if anyone knew)
- Telling Sophie their identities could "topple the elvin world." Since Oralie is a Councillor, this makes sense. This may or may not fit with Sophie’s other biological parent.
- They (or, at the very least, Oralie) wish they could be a part of Sophie's life.
- They know she is their daughter.
- They are an elf who may or may not be Talentless.
- It is highly likely that neither of her parents share the same abilities as her. (I.e. Flasher, Empath, Shade, Guster, Hydrokinetic, Froster, Pyrokinetic, etc.)
- They do not strongly know each other.
Sophie's Theories[]
- Prentice Endal - (Shut down by Mr. Forkle)
- Jolie Lucine Ruewen - (Shut down by Mr. Forkle)
- Councillor Kenric Elgar Fathdon - (Shut down by Mr. Forkle)
- Mr. Forkle - (Shut down by Mr. Forkle)
- Councillor Bronte- (Proven wrong in Legacy by both Mr. Forkle and Bronte himself) - though it is discovered that some of Sophie's genes were inspired/based on Bronte's Inflictor genes.
- Lady Cadence Talle - (Proven wrong in Legacy)
- Councillor Oralie - (Sophie's Biological Mother)
Quotes[]
“These were people who'd been okay with letting their child be part of an experiment knowing it would likely put her in constant danger. People who'd let her grow up in a forbidden world without them. People who hadn't made any attempt at contacting her now that she was back in the Lost Cities. In fact, for all she knew, she saw them all the time and they never gave her the slightest clue that she meant anything to them. Probably because she didn't. She wasn't their daughter. She was the Black Swan's creation. And as far as Sophie was concerned, they were nothing more than DNA donors.”